Process and apparatus for treating hydrocarbons



H. J. HALLE March 7, 1933.

PROCESS AND (\PPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS Original Filed Sept. 17.

PATENT OFFICE L QB YORK, E. Y ASSIGHOB 1'0 URIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS CO!- 7 OF CAGQ, DIS, A CORPORATION 01F SQUTH DAKOTA.

ATUS FOE TING 30052313038 @onthinctiee of ossification Serial its, eitfiw, filed September it, MEG. This replication flies Eehmarv 6%, zero. E'lerici he, ttfifl'. Renewed fi'ovemher it, 19%.

introduced into the vapor chamber; to pro vide a. construction in which the carbon may he precipitated and collected in oil pans whereby it may he readily removed from the vopor chamber; to provide e construction in which the oil passing successively to e, plurality of oil ens is retained in the vapor chamber e suficient length of time to permit of the maximum cracking reaction; to provide as construction in which the oil containin chambers con be readily cleaned; to provi e a. construction in which the highest boiling vapors evolved in the lowest pens meet in their ascent surfaces of progressively higher temperature end should, in efiect, he slightly superheated, us facilitating the vaporize.- tion, completion of the reaction end the easy removal of the vaporized products from the system d in general to provide an im roved construction of the character referre to.

In the drawings, the single figure shows or somewhat dicgretic side elevation and vertical section of my improved apparatus.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designctes the furnace, provided with s. humor 2 endstack 8. In the furnace is mounted the hosting coil 4 connected to the feed line 5,

leading to feed. pump 6. The oil, while still in the liquid phase, posses b wary of the sted transfer line 7 into is e upper part or the vertical vapor chamber 8. The trfor line 7 terminates in a nozzle shove the u ermoet one of e. of oil pens 10. cos oil pans, in the oresent instance, four ese l shaft or support 11 m@- 15) can tielly extending particularly in extending Y hein shown are mounted on s ut through the upper part of the vapor chem-' her 8. The pens it ore annular in term and are spaced sport end mounted on the shaft 11, es shown in the drawings." The pens 10 are each preferably provided with e rim 14- ond with to series of preferably circumferenovertlow pipes 15, the arrsngement being such that the liquid would overflow through the pipes 15 of one pen into the pan just below. The pens 10 are of progressively increasing diameters from the upper to the lower pen, so as to provide in the upper portion of the chamber ample space for vapors produced by the expansion of the heated oil admitted to this portion of the vapor chamber.

The. overflow pipes are preferably so or ranged that the overflow pipes in one pen will not he vertically shove the overflow pipes in the pan below. The top plate of the vapor chamber is preferably removable so that the pans, when more or less carbon is formed therein, can he token out and cleaned. The liquid residue is drown ofi' from the bottom of the vapor chamber through the line 16 having throttle valve 17 and the vapors pass out through vapor line 18 having valve 19 leading to water condenser 20. Water condenser 20 connects to a receiver 21, which receiver is provided with liquid level gauge 22 and pressure auge 23. This receiver has a. liquid drawo line 2%, controlled by throttle valve 25, and gas outlet line 26, controlled by throttle valve 27.

The novelty of the invention resides more the construction of the vapor and for the purpose of attaining heretofore referred to. In operation, the oil is ted through the heating tubes where it may he raised to a. temperature of, say, 800 F., and maintained under a pressure of, say, 100 poundsto the square inch. The oil, while in the liquid phase, passes into the vapor chamber and as it falls on the uppermost pen the lighter vapors will pass out of the system the unvaporized oil falling into the pan next heneath, and so on to the bottom an. The uncondensed vapors and gases pass chamber, the ob1ects liar and thence to the condenser. Suitable aerial. condensers or dephlegmators (not shown) [may be used, if desired. If desired,

able heat to the bottom of the vapor chamber and driveofl' any oily content therein, or anyway, in effect, run such residue as remains in the system down to coke.

What I claim is:

1. A continuous process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, conslsting in passing the oil in a stream through a heating zone wherein it is raised to a cracking temperature, in delivering the highly heated oil from said stream to an enlarged vapor chamber, collecting the oil in a plurality of vertically spaced pools in said enlarged vaporchamber, said pools being of successively lower temperature and larger volume from the top to the bottom of said enlarged chamber, in permitting the oil to overflow successively from the pool of highest temperature to the pool of lowest temperature, in continuously withdrawing unvaporized oil from the bottom of said enlarged vapor chamber without again admitting the same to said stream, in' taking off vapors from the top of said vapor cham her, in condensing such vapors, in collecting the resulting distillate and in maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the oil undergoing treatment in the process.

2. A continuous process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in passing the oil through a coil disposed within a furnace wherein the oil is raised to a cracking temperature, in transferring the highly heated oil from said coil to an enlarged vapor chamber, in initially delivering the oil into a relatively small pool in the upper portion of said enlarged vapor chamber, in permitting the oil to flow successively into pools of successively increasing volume disposed below said first pool and maintained at successively lower temperatures, in reventing the return of any unvaporized oil rom said vapor chamber to said coil, in taking ofl' vapors from said vapor chamber, in subjecting such vapors to condensation, in collecting t e resulting distillate and in maintaining a superatmospheric, self-generated vapor pressure on the oil undergoing conversion in the process.

3. In an 011 cracking apparatus, an enlarged, vertically disposed reaction chamber, means for introducing hydrocarbon oil at a cracking temperature under a superatmospheric pressure into said reaction chamber adjacent the top thereof, a plurality of vertically spaced pans positioned in said reaction chamber, said pans being of successively larger cross sectional area from the topmost to the lowermost pan whereby pools of oil of successively larger volume accumulate in said reaction chamber from adjacent the top theneof, toward the bottom thereof, overflow means connected with each of said pans for maintaining a given liquid level therein, means 'for removin unvaporized oil from the bottom of sai reaction chamber, means for taking off vaporous constituents from the top of said reaction chamber, and means for maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the material in said reaction chamber.

4. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises passing the oil in a restricted stream through a heating zone and heating the same therein, to cracking temperature under suflicient superatmospheric pressure to retain a substantial portion thereof in the liquid phase, discharging the thus heated oil into the upper portion of an enlarged vapor separating zone maintained under cracklng conditions and containing a plurality of receptacles adapted to retain solid matter, flowing the liquid oil downwardly through said zone, during such downward flow precipitating solid carbonaceous matter from the liquid oil in said receptacles and overflowing the liquid oil from each receptacle to the next succeed ing one, collecting successively larger pools of liquid oil in the succeeding receptacles from top to bottom of the separating zone, removing vapors from the upper portion of said separating zone for condensation and separately removing unvaporized oil from the lower portion of the separating zone.

' HIRAM J. HALLE. 

